1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of means for collecting waste liquids and the like, and more specifically, to an inverted frustum container and a removable receptacle coupled thereto for collecting waste liquids.
2. Prior Art
Various devices are well known which have utility as a means for containing waste material. For example, waste paper baskets, waste barrels, and the like have been used, many of which contain an interliner for holding the waste material. An example of a waste bag holder is disclosed by Berner, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,759,695. The Berner, et al. device comprises a bag holder having an open upper end to receive a bag and a lower end to eject the same. The means used to support the bag are generally U-shaped straps depending from the rim and having a base portion. The bag is inserted downwardly through the rim with the U-shaped straps holding the bag in position. Such a device, while perhaps acceptable for waste paper, is not acceptable for waste liquid in that (i) no means is provided for directing the liquid into the bag; (ii) no means is provided which could hold liquid, such as oil, without falling apart; (iii) no means is provided for adequately securing the top of the bag to the holder; and (iv) the device is not adapted to be used in tightly confined areas.
Another type of bag holder is disclosed by Bumgarner, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,352,520. The Bumgarner, et al. bag holder is comprised of a tripod-like structure having a rim member for holding the top of the bag and a generally triangular base. The bag is inserted through the rim member and is stretched over the rim and is frictionally engaged thereby. While such waste container holder may useful for the containing and disposal of waste paper and the like, such device is not specifically designed for the use of containing waste liquids such as oil and, because of the configuration, is not adopted to direct waste liquids into a separate and distinct receptacle. Moreover, such bag holders would still prevent the bags from being used to collect waste liquid from tightly contained areas.
Today the disposal of waste materials and especially waste liquids is becoming critically important. This is due primarily to the ecological effects of improper disposal of waste liquids, such as, for example, oil and the like. These materials have found their way into streams, lakes and agricultural land and have polluted much of the environment. Liquids are especially dangerous to the ecology because many people improperly dispose of such liquids by merely pouring them down the drain or into the ground. The liquids are then free to permeate either a lake or the ground to a much larger extent than if a piece of paper of other article of waste was discarded. Accordingly, there has been a long-felt need for means which would prevent the improper disposal of waste liquids.
In conjunction with the ecological problems of disposal of waste liquids, the cost of oil, and oil derivatives has increased significantly in recent years. These cost increases, while due to many factors, have as their effect increased the desirability of recycling used petroleum products such as oil and oil base liquids so as to decrease the dependence on foreign oil and to fully utilize existing supplies of oil without generating waste. One such supply of used oil has been from gas stations where millions of cars each year have their oil changed. This used oil, which at one time was merely discarded, has now become a valuable asset of such gas stations which sell it to recyclers who then convert the oil into other products or purify it and resell it back to the gas stations for use once again as lubrication for cars.
The cost of oil has risen to such an extent that for those individuals who drain their own cars or otherwise have access to used oil can now realize a significant amount of money by bringing such petroleum products to a recyling center and either obtaining fresh recycled oil or being paid money for their used oil. Moreover, this disposal system is clearly preferable to merely dumping the oil on the ground or down the drain where such is likely to have an adverse effect on the ecology. Thus, there is a need for a device which can be used to collect the oil in such a manner that it can be contained and used to transport the oil from the car engine or other device to the recycling center. Such device should have the additional advantage of being reusable. Moreover, such device should be usable in tightly confined areas and direct the oil into a receptacle.
The present invention represents an advancement in the art of liquid waste containers and has many advantages not associated with prior art devices. The present invention provides a device which may be used to collect oil and other waste liquids and which permits the collected liquid to be easily transported from the place where it is obtained to the place where it can be properly disposed of.